Kobe Bryant speaks during his jersey retirement press conference in Los Angeles, the United States, Dec. 18, 2017. Photo: Xinhua

A court case brought by Kobe Bryant's widow over graphic photographs taken by first responders at the site of the helicopter crash that killed him got under way in the US on Wednesday.

The basketball superstar and his teenage daughter were among nine people who died when their chopper smashed into a hillside near Los Angeles in January 2020.

Vanessa Bryant alleges she suffered emotional distress because personnel from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and firefighters snapped pictures of the scene, which they later shared with friends and first responders.

"At least 11 [sheriff's] personnel and a dozen firefighters shared the photos within 24 hours of the crash," Bryant's attorneys wrote in court papers.

"In the following weeks, one [sheriff's] deputy flaunted photos of remains at a bar, another texted photos to a group of video game buddies, and [county fire] personnel displayed photos at an awards gala."

Lawyers for Los Angeles County do not dispute that the photos were taken, but insist they have never been made public and have now been deleted.

Mira Hashmall, representing the county in the civil litigation, said the case hinged on this issue of public dissemination.

"From the time of the crash to now, the county has worked tirelessly to prevent its crash site photos from getting into the public domain," she said.

"Over two and a half years later, no county photos have appeared in the media, none can be found online, and the plaintiffs admit they've never seen them."

Vanessa Bryant's case has been combined with a similar case brought by Chris Chester, whose wife and 13-year-old daughter also died in the crash.

A jury of six women and four men were selected on Wednesday, CNN reported.

Relatives of several other victims were in 2021 granted $2.5 million in compensation over the photo-taking.

An investigation into the crash found the pilot had probably become disorientated after flying the Sikorsky S-76 into fog.

AFP